Best Online Casino Promotions & Casino Bonus Codes

Posts Tagged ‘online poker’

Poker is all about hand ranks. If you don’t know what you are holding, you are defeated even before you start playing! And in order to wager wisely, you need to know which hand is the best and which is the worst in terms of payouts. Here is a ready reckoner:

High cards: This hand does not contain any pairs, straights or flushes. For this reason it is referred to as Garbage. If this is the case, your first card is compared to the first card of other players. The hand which contains the highest first card among all hands wins. It is considered the worst hand due to the low payouts attached to it. However, the odds of being dealt such a hand is very high — 50.12% –so just cross your fingers and hope for the highest first card as well!

Pair: Two cards of the same value (e.g. 9-9) along with three kickers (unmatched cards) is known as a pair. Payout wise this hand ranks better than high card but the chances of being dealt a one pair hand is a less, 42.27%.

Two Pair: This hand consists of two separate pairs (e.g. 4- 4 and K-K) with one kicker. The possibility of drawing hands with two pairs is just 4.75% but this hand is still considered good as the payouts are decent.

Three-of-a-Kind: It includes three cards of the same value (e.g. 6, 6, 6) with two kickers. With odds of just 2.11%, the chances of drawing such a hand is less but the payout is good.

Straight: Five cards in a sequence but not of the same suit (e.g. 8-9-10-J-K of different suits) is known as a Straight Poker hand. The probability of getting a straight is 0.39%.

Flush: Any five cards of the same suit but not following any sequence is a Flush (e.g. 4-7-10-J-2 of spades). The probability of being dealt a flush is 0.20%.

Full House: It comprises three of a kind along with a pair (e.g. 8-8-8-A-A). The probability of dealing a full house is 0.144%.

Four of a Kind: It includes all the four cards of the same value with one kicker (e.g. 4-4-4-4-10) and the odds of winning this hand is 0.024%.

Straight Flush: It has five cards in sequence and of the same suit (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 of clubs) with 0.00154% chances of drawing it.

Royal Flush: And here we finally introduce you to the best Poker hand that is possible and that comprises an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and a 10 of the same suit.

So next time you play online poker, RECOGNISE a good or bad hand when you see one.

There are poker players and poker players. I have watched them at online casinos,  hoping to categorize them and beat them at their own gamble. But it was difficult to pin poker players down as the free online games has tutored them to disguise themselves with misleading names, suggestive aliases, wild gestures, and other screen gimmicks. Some even mask their Poker playing style. But stop by at a money online casino, and all the paint wears off. Money speaks and how! Just watch the chips and you can distinguish half-a-dozen different Poker player types.

Happy-go-lucky: This poker player is yet to get over the free online casino days. Has a ‘very loose’ online casino playing style.  Gambles for pleasure, though what joy is there in losing is anyone’s guess. If passive, resorts to calling weak and marginal hands and under-bets. If aggressive, is prone to bluffs, raises and over-bets.

High Roller: This poker player is probably retired and so is a regular at online casinos. Adopts an ‘aggressive’playing style. Plays all hands and does not reveal any emotion even at an online casino.

Highly-skilled: Likes to imagine Poker is an art form. Practices the ‘too tight’ style; calls only best hands and folds if the betting turns heavy. Hates to lose in online casinos and hardly makes it to tournaments.

Overly-cautious: Scared to let go of a hand, this player is ‘weak tight’ in style. Does not take the lead and is always reacting to other’s moves. Often spotted in higher- limit poker games dictated by highrollers in online casinos.

Solid and confident: With a tight aggressive style, this poker player is known for careful hand selection, patience and decisive bets. Likes to corner opponents at the online casino.

Rich and over-confident: Gambles seriously, with a super-aggressive style. Picks on fellow online casino players head-on. Especially the ‘very tight’ and ‘tight aggressive’ in the knowledge that they play pot-odds. Targets small stacks to reduce their bet impact in the game.

If you recognize yourself as any of the above types, you will know who to opt for as buddies at online casinos. Also, you can always convert your type if you change your style of playing poker at online casinos.